Lifetime Changes
by china36
Summary: A american girl finds Hogwarts and everyone thinks she's a muggle. But only on person really knows the truth. But will she acutally spill? Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

The first thing I noticed was wrong was when I couldn't see the trampled grass, which would tell me my group had come through here. And then it all went downhill from there. We came from America, so it wasn't like I knew where I was going. We came over, a bunch of students at the beginning of the school year, to study abroad the English people. A group of us decided to take a hike for a few days in a large valley, and the teachers told it was okay, so we went.

"Nice view, isn't it, Danielle?" My friend Alex asked me as we were walking.

"Yeah, it's so pretty." I whisper. The mountains sloped down into the valleys and when we came to a lake, the water was perfect and beautiful.

"I'm so glad we got permission to come. I love it here."

"You've been here before?" I ask, confused.

"Yeah, I lived here for a few years before I moved to Boston."

"That's so cool!" I exclaim. "Do you miss it?"

"Yeah, it's a lot better here." He trailed off and we kept walking.

We were hiking for a couple of hours before we stopped to have dinner. It was a nice grassy area, which was perfect for our tents. We slept late and kept going in the morning. Days passed before we reached a large mountainous area. Then it all went wrong. I camped in a good lookout position, to get a nice view.

I woke up early the next morning and ran down to meet with my friends to keep going.

No one was down at the campsite we had last night. Everything was gone- food, tents, people. There was absolutely no sign of the group, or even worse, that anyone was even there.

"Guys!" I call into the valley. "Are you there?" I yell. No reply, and then I begin to get worried. If there's no response then I really have an issue. If no one's here, then I have no idea how to get back. I could probably find their feet indents in the grass hopefully. That gives me some hope, so I run up to my tent and pack it up quickly. I return to the campsite and take one last glance back, then begin walking forward. My head throbs and my legs buckle under the weight of my backpack as I walk. I flash pictures frequently along the walk, and push forward. After all, if the group was ahead of me, then I would need to be fast to catch up with them. And if I didn't… I didn't want to think about that. The result would be awful. Most likely, I would miss my plane back and have to get another ticket back to America, which would be pretty expensive.

At the end of the day, I reach a large, calm lake with a large mountain in the center, with a castle resting upon the top of it. I take a picture of it and settle down for the night, and decide to go and explore the castle in the morning. Little did I know that finding that castle would change my life.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The Castle

I wake up very late the next morning and pack up. I leave the grounds and circle around the lake. There's no other way to go, other than swimming across. I shrug and begin swimming across. The water's cool and refreshing, since I haven't had a shower for days. Fish nibble at my bare toes, which is pretty frequently, since I had to take off my shoes. A serpent swims beneath me, and its slimy tail frequently brushes my legs. _If Amelia was here, _I think, _she would have a nervous breakdown._

I reach the edge of the island by late afternoon. I decide to take a rest and eat, since the swim was pretty demanding. By the time I've eaten and woken up, it's clearly after eleven. I walk up the steep passage to the entrance of the castle. I reach the top at eleven thirty, and open up the large oak doors. A strange crest is nailed on the doors, one that I've never seen before. The doors creak open, and I step into the castle and close the doors behind me. I turn on my flashlight and begin to explore. I walk into a large room with four long tables, and one long table facing them. I leave that room and keep walking. I pass a few empty rooms, then come to a library. I walk in and take a look. I pull a random book off the shelf and read the front cover. _Hogwarts, A History. _Interesting. Maybe it's a castle around here. I keep searching. _Transfiguration Today, Dangerous Witches and Wizards, _and _Charms, Spells and Jinxes, Oh My! _Are among the few I pick out. What is this place? And who owns books like this? I put them back and keep looking around. I come to a tall tower, and realize the paintings here _talk._

"Password?"

"Um… password? What's that for?" I ask the painting of the fat lady.

"Are you even a Gryffindor?" The painting asks.

"What's that?" I ask. The painting cackles, then starts screaming.

"A student's out of bed! A student's out of bed! A student's out of bed!" The painting screams.

"I'm sorry, did I offend you?" I ask the painting. She keeps screaming. My heart begins to beat quickly. Oh my goodness, what did I just do? I hear people running toward me. I turn blindly and look for a good hiding spot. Something floats over me and suddenly, I'm wet. I turn around and scream. A ghost, a real live, well not really, ghost floats in front of me. It throws something at me again, and I feel even wetter. Then I realize it's water balloons. A man in all black, comes from a different angle from where I hear the footsteps. I immediately shrink back.

"Why are you out of bed, young witch?"

"That's not really nice," I say, sounding like a little kid. "Who the hell are you, anyway? More importantly, where the hell am I?" I ask. The man in black comes forward and grabs me by my hair.

"What house are you in?" He growls.

"House?" I ask. He yanks on my hair harder. "Ow, ow ow!" I yell. "Yours may not hurt when someone pulls on it, but it hurts me!" I say angrily. Another splash, and I look up. The ghost laughs at me and throws another.

"ENOUGH!" A voice bellows in the hall. "Severus, you know the rules, put the girl down." I hadn't even realized I was hovering above the ground before he dropped me. I land hard on my right wrist and moan.

"That's gonna hurt in the morning. Oh, God." I moan and stand up. I hold my wrist close to my body. An old woman approaches me.

"Minerva, may I?" Severus asks, drawing a long stick from his pocket. He points it at me and words form in his mouth.

"Avada-"

"Severus! No! This is a student! We will not use an Unforgiveable on a student!" Severus puts the stick away and stares at me intently. I step back and run into the wall.

"Who the hell are you! Why are you here! Damn it, tell me!" I yell. Severus advances on me. I turn and run. I bolt past the rooms and down the steps. I find the library and run inside. I run in the shelves and look for a hiding spot. I come to a doorway with the word "Restricted" plastered on the sign and jump over it. I blindly run into the shelves and take cover. I lay on the little ledge and fall asleep there until someone's shaking me awake. But now I'm not in the library anymore. I guess I'm in the hospital wing, since everything's clad in white and looks clean. A small group crowds my bedside. My vision clears and I watch the woman, Minerva paces in front of my bed.

"Albus, where are you?" She moans and sits down in a chair by the table. Moments pass and the door creaks open. In walks an older man, well, very old, with half-moon spectacles and a long white beard and white hair. He has purple and green robes on, which practically hide his entire being.

"How is she?" He asks Minerva.

"Hasn't woken up yet." She replies. So they didn't see my wake. I sit up and stare at them.

"Ah, she wakes," the man, I guess Albus says. I squint at the man.

"Who are you?"

"Albus Dumbledore. Pleased to meet you."

"Okay," I say and raise my eyebrows. "Then where am I?"

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Hogwarts

"What?" I ask, completely confused.

"You know where you are, just tell us your House!" Severus growls. I sit up and stare at him.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I ask. "Since, I'm honestly clueless."

"The language needs to stop!" A toad like woman comes into view, and stands with her hands on her hips.

"I don't think so." I say. The woman holds her pink purse closely to her heart, which kind of annoys me. Totally random, but it just really bothers me. Plus, she's all clad in pink and everything, which is another one of my pet peeves. I stare at her and she stares back at me.

"What am I here for? Please, just let me leave," I say and begin to get up. Severus comes so close to my face that his crooked nose brushes my chin.

"You will stay here until you give up what House you're in. Then, you will be expelled, and none of us will have to go through it again. Do you think I enjoyed watching you sleep, while I could have been failing the Gryffindors!" He hisses. I back away and swing my body to the other side, where Minerva still sits.

"Minerva, would you kindly lead Miss Exalias to my office? That would be most wonderful. I will meet up with you in a few moments, I just need to retrieve something." Minerva nods and beckons for me to follow her. I grab my small messenger bag and sling it over my shoulder.

"You won't be needing that," Severus makes to take my bag. I step back and hold it closer to my body.

"I believe I do." I growl back. He glares at me and turns away. I smile a satisfied grin and follow the old woman out of the room.

"You seem nice," I begin casually. She looks down at me strangely, so I continue. "So would you mind telling me who all those people were in there?" I ask. The woman sighs.

"You should know them all by now, you look like a third or fourth year student."

"Yes, but I think I hit my head pretty hard last night, so I don't remember a thing." Minerva doesn't say anything, instead we stop in front of two gargoyles.

"Chocolate Frogs," is all she says. I recoil and a door is revealed. We walk through and stop in a round office. The old man, Albus, sits at a desk in the center of the room. He points to a chair and I sit down.

"Am I in trouble?" It slips out before I can stop it. Just a forced habit.

"No, dear child, you are not. I would just like to talk with you. We have much to talk about." I nod. The man reaches into his robe. I instinctively get up, step back and draw my small pocket knife I carry everywhere. I knock into the woman and she pushes me forward. The man laughs at me.

"What?" I ask and grip the knife tighter.

"Sit down, dear child. I will not hurt you."

"Hell, it sure looks like you will."

"It may, but Professor Dumbledore is a peaceful man. He will not hurt you." Minerva says. I sit back down.

"I'm not putting it away." I say and loosen my grip.

"I understand. I would like you to just listen to me and answer my questions with complete honesty."

"My question first. What am I supposed to call you guys?"

"I am Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, and this is Professor McGonagall, Transfiguration, and Deputy Headmistress. Neither one of us will hurt you."

"Okay, then. I guess I trust you." I say. The man smiles and Professor McGonagall sits down next to me. Two more people walk in, the toad like woman and Severus. "Then who are they?" I ask.

"This is Professor Snape, Potions Master, and Professor Umbridge, Hogwarts High Inquisitor, and Defense against the Dark Arts. Are you the last?" Dumbledore asks.

"No, Flitwick, Sprout, Hagrid and Filch are coming; they just had to finish something up. Ah, here they come now," Umbridge says and the door opens, revealing a short man with an abnormal amount of facial hair. Another walks in behind him, revealing a fairly short and stout woman with dirty hands and gray bushy hair. A very tall man with a darker olive skin comes in and has to duck, since the door is so tall. Lastly, a scrungy looking man walks in and a cat follows him. At least these people are animal friendly.

"This is Professor Flitwick, Professor of Charms; Professor Sprout, Professor of Herbology; Hagrid, Care of Magical Creatures, Gamekeeper and Keeper of Keys and Filch, our caretaker." McGonagall tells me. I nod and turn back to Dumbledore. The teachers seemed to crowd instantly around Dumbledore, and even McGonagall gets up to stand by them. I feel alone and intimidated until Hagrid comes over and sniffles.

"I always knew she'd come. She wouldn't leave us."

"Quiet Hagrid," Umbridge growls. Hagrid sits in the chair next to me and sniffles some more.

"Clearly, you are American. What are you doing over in England?" Dumbledore asks.

"Well, my grade decided to take a trip to England to learn about our English counterparts. Like later, I'm taking a trip to France, since I'm taking French this year. It was designed to help us learn and immerse ourselves in another culture," I say. Dumbledore writes what I say on a piece of parchment.

"What have you been doing the last few days?" McGonagall asks.

"A small group of us decided to take a hike for a couple of days."

"Professor Dumbledore, if I may," Snape begins. "It may prove to be more efficient if we take her memory and looked at it. We can all see what happens. It will also insure she doesn't lie."

"I'm no liar!" I gasp. "Yeah, I may be a freaking American, but that doesn't mean I'm a liar!"

"Sit down child. We don't mean to call you a liar; you may not remember the exact happenings of this week," Sprout says to me. I hadn't noticed that I was standing until I sat back down.

"Yes, I agree." McGonagall draws her stick and I jump up, once again. I hold my knife and stare intently at her.

"Jumpy today, aren't we?" Umbridge says. I scowl at her and she smiles a creepy smile.

"Sit down, you won't feel anything. You won't remember what happened. I just need you to think of the memory of the past few days. I will let you know when you are finished." I nod and concentrate. I barely notice her touch the side of my head and pull something stringy out of my head. She flicks it into a well of water and smiles at me. "There you go. Now in we all go." The group walks over to the well and Hagrid pulls me up.

"Well come on, this is your memory!" He says and pushes my face into the well.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Five

Slythern or Gryffindor?

I walk through the hole in the wall and into a room covered in red and gold, with lions covering every inch of the room. Two boys and two girls sit on a couch in front of the fire place, and talk.

"Who are you?" The red head boy asks, who sits on the floor.

"Ron!" The bushy haired brunette gasps. "But yes, who exactly are you?"

I sigh. "Danielle Exalias. And before you ask, yes, I'm from America."

"Why are you starting a four into classes? You should have been here four months ago." A boy with black hair and round glasses asks me. He stands up and walks over to me.

"I'm not a student here," I tell them. Then, I explain what happened and the other red headed girl laughs.

"Just keep using language with the toad. Bloody hell, she deserves it. And I'm Ginny by the way. This is Hermione, Harry and Ron." Ginny tells me.

"Nice to meet you," I say. "So what exactly are you guys doing here?"

"This is a school of witchcraft and wizardry. We practice and learn about magic here." Harry says.

"But we haven't been doing much of practicing lately. Umbridge is from the Ministry of Magic, which is like the magical government. She's changed the Defense Against Dark Arts classes so we're just learning the things we need. She's also taken away the clubs and Quiddich away, so we have nothing to do at night."

"That really blows."

"Yeah, the bloke doesn't know what she's in for when Voldemort comes back around," Harry growls. I turn to Ginny.

"Voldemort is the most dangerous dark wizard of all time. Last summer, he killed Cedric Diggory, then he came back to life. Before that, he killed Harry's parents. He turned on Harry, but he somehow he survived and has a scar on his forehead to show."

"How did he try to kill him?"

"The Killing Curse, or Avada Kedavra." I raise my eyebrow.

"Is that like illegal or something?"

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Cause last night, when Snape came around, he tried the curse. Then McGonagall stopped him and got really pissed off." I say. Ron scoffs.

"The bloody git. Maybe we should try it on him!" A taller boy comes down the steps and stops.

"Hey Neville," Ginny says.

"Hey guys. I had a question for the thing tonight." Neville says cautiously. He glances at me then back to Harry.

"She's safe. Don't worry."

"I think Umbride is watching the doorway. She's convinced that something's going on in there." He says.

"Yeah so?"

"How are we going to get in without her seeing us?"

"I can distract her. Ask her to fill me in on the magic and stuff while you guys do what you need to." I say.

"That could work."

"You guys just tell me what I need to do and I'll get it done." I tell Harry.

"American, you are brilliant!" He says.

"How do we know that she's not going to go and tell Umbridge instead?" Ron pipes up. "For all we know, she could be a bloody liar and could be a Slythern."

"I can see your point, but if you want to, go ask Hagrid. He led me here," I tell him.

"I think I bloody will!" He yells at me. Ron stops halfway through the hole and turns back around. "Well, anyone else coming?" Ginny sighs and gets up. I follow her with Hermione and Harry on my heels.

"Sorry about Ron, the bloke's nervous you really are a Slythern." Harry says to me. I shrug.

"Hey, I'm just glad to find someone who hasn't yelled at me for 'language.'" Harry laughs.

"Yeah, the toad is a bloody git. Everyone around here knows that."

"Yeah, I bet." I sigh. We follow Ron out onto a large lawn and over to a small hut on the other side. Ron knocks, well, bashes, on the door.

"Hagrid! Open up!" He yells. Hagrid opens the door and smiles.

"What can I do fer yer?" He aks.

"I got a question about the _American,_" he spits. Hagrid ushers us and we sit down around a wooden table.

"He thinks I'm a Slytherin. You were there, tell him!"

"Ron, she is a Gryffindor, tried and true. That's what the Hat said. Is that what yer wanted to kno'?"

"Thanks, Hagrid," Ginny says in response. Hagrid smiles and the group of us leaves.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Six

Discoveries

Everyone else had gone back to the common room but Ginny and I. We were walking around the castle when we heard it.

"Albus, you know the heir of Gryffindor would come this year. The heir would come in a strange way! Albus! The girl, the American! I think she's the one!" McGonagall says excitedly. Ginny stares at me, confused. I shrug back and peek into the room.

"I'm going to go and get Harry's invisibility cloak. Stay here," she whispers. I nod and watch her run down the hall.

"Minerva, we musn't get our hopes up, not just yet. She may not be the one. Remember the Chamber of Secrets? All the students, and the professors, though Potter was the heir of Slythern, but Riddle was and still is, the heir." Ginny comes back and hands me the cloak.

"Here. Go on in. I saw Snape coming this way. I'm leaving, but you should be able to find your way back. The password's 'transfiguration,'" she says and takes off. I cover myself with the cloak and wait for Snape to come. He finally does, and I slip in behind him. I hide over in the corner, where I know no one can find me.

"Severus, thank you for joining us," Dumbledore says. He just shakes his head and sits down in one of the chairs.

"So we think the girl is the heir of Gryffindor?" Snape asks.

"Possibly," is all Dumbledore says.

"I am the head of Gryffindor house! I do believe that I know if a student of mine is that special."

"But she is not a student," Snape points out.

"She is in my House. She is one of my students. I will take her to Diagon Ally to get her books and wand so she can learn. I can feel it. She has very special potential."

"Minerva, just because she has potential, that doesn't mean she's the heir."

"No, it doesn't, but it does contribute to it."

"When are you taking her to Diagon Ally?" Dumbledore finally asks.

"I decided after this. She most likely doesn't have any friends yet, or very few. She has only been here a few hours."

"You two go and do that. I will look this up." Dumbledore says. The group stands up and leaves together. I get down from the shelf I was sitting on and run out the door. I sprint to the tower, and practically scream the password. I climb through the hole and fall onto the floor. Harry and Hermione sit on the rug in front of the fire.

"Where were you?" Harry asks and I toss him his cloak back. "Thanks. But seriously, where were you?" I explain quickly to the pair and Hermione sits up.

"You best get ready to go," she says.

"But what do I need?"

"Gaellons. Wizard money. Do you have any?"

"No."

"Here," Harry says and hands me a small pouch. "It's not much, but it'll buy everything you need."

"I can't take this. This is yours," I say and begin to hand the pouch back to Harry. He pushes the pouch back to me.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," Hermione says and smiles.

"Thanks," I say as someone walks into the common room.

"Danielle, come. We are going to get you your school supplies." I nod and get up.

"Thanks again, guys." I say and follow McGonagall out the portrait hole.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Seven

Diagon Alley

I follow McGonagall out of the portrait hole.

"So, where exactly are we going?" I ask as I practically sprint to catch up with her. God, she walks fast.

"Diagon Alley, where we're going to buy your school supplies."

"Wait, you mean I'm a witch?" I ask.

"Yes, that is precisely what I'm saying."

"Sweet," I say and follow her out the main doors.

"Accio brooms!" She calls. Instantly, two broomsticks come zooming into view. She catches both, hands one to me, then mounts. I follow her example and mount the broom. It's actually stunningly easy. I follow McGonagall up into the skies, way, way up. Air runs through my tied back hair, threatening to pull it out. I reach back carefully and undo my hair. Now, it whips around me, slapping me in the face and arms. I whoop with joy. McGonagall looks back and cracks a smile. I dive and skim the surface of the water, the fly back up. I twirl in the air, doing things I never imagined possible. I do this for the remainder of the flight, then we begin to lower down near the edge of a field. We touch down, and I stumble forward.

"Grab my arm," McGonagall says and offers her arm. I hold both of our broomsticks in my hands, then grab her arm. Suddenly, I feel like I'm being sucked through a tube, horrible, just plain horrible. We appear in a dark room, I guess a bar of some sort.

"This is The Leaky Cauldron, which is one of the enterances to Diagon Alley," she explains to me. I nod and follow her outside into a small square courtyard. She walks over to a brick wall, then does something with the bricks. Randomly, the bricks begin to shift, moving out of the way to reveal a small street on the other side. I follow her through.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley. First, we'll go and get your wand, then get your cauldron, school books, robes, owl and broomstick." I shrug and follow her through the alley over to a small shop, reading _Olivander's Wand Shop._ We head inside, and a small man appears behind the desk.

"Hello, Minerva." The man says.

"Olivander." She nods casually. "I'm here to but a wand for one of my newest students." I wave.

"Hello," I say and smile. Olivander nods at me, then ushers me forward.

"Hold out your wand hand," he says.

"Um," I say and hold out my right hand, clueless. He brings down a small box and pulls out a slim wand. He hands me the wand.

"Dragon heartstrings, fifteen inches." He says simply.

"What should I do?" I ask quietly.

"Wave it around. Give it a shot." I follow the man's instructions and wave it for a moment. I feel a jolt of power rush up my back. A beautiful feeling, pure and strong. I can feel it, this is what I have to do. I am a witch. I flick the wand slightly. Olivander and McGonagall both smile widely.

"This is the one," Olivander says. He hands me the box and smiles.

"Thanks," I say and take it. I push it into my messenger bag and hold my new wand. I feel the power radiating from it, so strong and powerful. I can't wait to use it. McGonagall pays and we leave the shop. Next, we head over for my robe fittings, which doesn't take very long. Soon enough, I have my new Gryffindor robes hanging off of me, my school books in hand, my wand in my pocket, a cauldron under my arm, a gorgeous owl on my side, and a new broomstick on the counter.

"Somebody's lucky day," the man says and hands me my new Firebolt. I smile and thank him. We leave the store, and head back into the Cauldron. I pay for lunch before we head back to Hogwarts.

"Put everything in here, but keep your Firebolt out," McGonagall says and hold out a pouch. I push everything into the pouch. She hands it to me and I stick it into my messenger bag. I rip the paper off the broom and hold it tightly. McGonagall takes her broom and we mount together. We fly off above London and head back to Hogwarts.


End file.
